Steam swirled lazily above the water as Morwyn descended into it. The bathhouse was nothing like she expected; rather than small rooms with wooden tubs and attendants hurrying about with buckets of hot water, the entire place was a catacomb of caves dug into the side of the mountain. Though there were stone steps cut into the sides of the pools, there was little else beyond the occasional oil lamp to denote any sort of humanoid intervention. The slight twinge of sulfur in the air reminded her of the hot springs that dotted the landscape of Skeldrûn, though she'd only found them on the surface, never underground.
She groaned softly with relief as she slipped into the private pool far from any others that were occupied. The passing glances as she'd walked by wrapped in nothing but a towel had made her uncomfortable enough and she didn't fancy making idle conversation with naked strangers, so she'd delved deep into the caves in order to isolate herself. Now, in a dead end with no one else around and only a single lamp flickering softly in the passageway that led to the pool, she could finally relax.
The warmth of the water radiated through her sore muscles as she settled in up to her neck, her shoulders resting lightly against the edge of the pool. Condensation from the steam dripped erratically from stalactites above. The splashes of the droplets on stone or water were the only sounds aside from that of her own breathing and Morwyn could feel her pulse thrumming steadily in her ears. It had been so long since she'd bathed in a hot spring that she lost herself entirely to the feeling.
It was good to empty her mind. Nothing to distract her, no worries of the past or present or future, simply the sensation of the water against her skin. Steam entering her lungs. The pattering of water droplets. It was simple, subtle, soothing. The hurts of the world dissolved in the hot water. She closed her eyes and sank deeper, plunging beneath the surface and holding her breath for as long as she dared before coming back up for air. She smoothed her hair back out of her face and let it drift in the water around her as she closed her eyes and simply existed for a long moment.
Fragmented thoughts, soft and blurred, began to creep into her mind as she savored the sensation of the hot spring. A tangle of red hair, the curve of a pair of lips, the warmth of bare olive skin contrasting against the paleness of her own... She did indeed remember the mayor's daughter from back in Millcrest. Their brief encounter seemed a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then she could hardly wrap her mind around it.
For a moment she wondered if the other woman remembered her in the same flattering way, then realized it didn't matter. It was her memory, her fantasy, her entertainment in the isolation of the dim solitude of the cave... and quite a pleasant memory at that. Morwyn didn't know the next time she'd feel the warm embrace of a lover, even one as brief as the last, and so she reveled in the indecent thoughts for a time. The frontier was no place to look for such things, but at least she had this memory to relive before she plunged off into the unknown.
She massaged lazy spirals along her skin with both hands, starting with her calves, then her knees, then the outside of her thighs. Her breath came faster as she remembered the redhead's confident, wandering hands and her own crept ever so slowly beneath the ripples in the water. In the dizzying warmth of the pool she could almost imagine her long-distant lover climbing atop her again. She'd never even asked the woman's name...
Morwyn froze, her eyes shooting open, as she heard the sound of soft footfalls echoing through the passageway of the cave. She slipped from the edge of the pool and crouched low, turning around as she backed into the darkest depths at the back of the alcove. Her entire body prickled with embarrassment at what she'd been about to do. Isolated at the back or not, the bathhouse was still a public place. How could she be so brazen?
The footsteps grew louder, drawing closer, but still the soft padding of bare feet on stone. Whoever was coming stepped lightly, almost hesitantly it seemed.
“Oh gods...” Morwyn whispered to herself as she saw a silhouette appear at the end of the passageway leading to her pool. She pressed herself into a depression in the stone and tried to disappear, sinking down until only her wide eyes and her nose showed above the water as the footsteps drew closer. The entrance was mostly obscured by the shallow protrusion of rock behind which she hid but she could see part of a dark figure that was standing at the edge of the pool, backlit by the lamp in the tunnel beyond.
Morwyn's heart thudded in her chest as she heard the soft sound of a towel dropping to the floor. Whoever was there had seen hers folded neatly on the edge and still decided to enter. Her mind flashed through the possibilities. Someone with ill intentions might think to have her cornered in the darkness, but they wouldn't find her unprepared. She drew a deep breath as quietly as she could and peeked around the stone to get a good look at the interloper.
Her cheeks immediately reddened as she saw the nude form of a halfling woman in the flickering firelight. The figure tested the water with one toe, wincing at the heat before descending the steps and peering into the darkness. Those auburn curls were unmistakable even in the dim light of the lantern. Morwyn tried to pull back, to hide behind the stone and pretend she didn't exist, but found it difficult to look away. Though short in stature, Hazel was most definitely blessed with a womanly figure. Morwyn's gaze lingered far longer than it should have, and she felt a rush of embarrassment once again.
“Hello?” the halfling whispered, tiptoeing forward until the water reached her shoulders. “I know you're in here somewhere, Morwyn.”
Morwyn's eyes grew even wider upon hearing her name and she slipped back around the stone, one hand over her mouth, but it was all for naught. Her movement caused ripples on the surface of the water and the faintest splash. She heard a soft chuckle from the far side of the pool.
“Sorry for startling you. I didn't think you'd be hiding.”
Hoping that the deep shadows and the heat of the water would obscure the redness in her cheeks, Morwyn slowly slipped out of her hiding place with her gaze averted. Hazel lounged against the far side of the pool with the water up to her shoulders, an anxious smile playing at her lips. Morwyn lingered along the wall near the center of the pool. She remained low in the water, her knees braced against the sandy bottom.
“It's alright, I just wasn't expecting company.”
Hazel's lips pursed and she tilted her head ever so slightly to one side. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it for a moment as if searching for the right words, then continued.
“I hope my coming here doesn't upset you,” she said as she looked down, the tips of her ringlets playing across the surface of the pool. “I know you said you needed to be alone... I just couldn't stop worrying about you, I suppose.”
A faint smile crossed Morwyn's features as the initial shock of Hazel's appearance began to fade. She drifted slowly along the wall and came to a rest a respectful distance from the halfling, subconsciously crossing her arms over her chest despite the being up to her neck in the dark water. She met the other woman's gaze for a moment and waved one hand reassuringly above the surface.
“No need to apologize. I just needed some time to get my head on straight,” Morwyn replied. “Things have been... different for me since I joined the caravan. In ways I didn't expect.”
Hazel's signature warm smile returned and she visibly relaxed, sighing as she melted further into the spring. She splashed a handful of water onto her face and hair, smoothing it back and closing her eyes contentedly.
“I know the feeling dear, trust me,” the halfling murmured. Morwyn could see the tension begin to fade from Hazel's face as the heat of the pool washed her worries away, as it had for her some time earlier. “Life is full of surprises. Especially so with this rabble.”
Morwyn chuckled, nodding in agreement. The earlier awkwardness was dispelled and they settled into a comfortable silence for a time. She leaned her head back over the edge of the pool and let her body unwind as she had before, though now she was conscious of Hazel's even breathing across from her. She hadn't realized how soothing it was, nor how much she was focusing on it, until she heard the quick intake of breath preceding spoken word.
“We don't have to talk about anything important. Or anything at all, if that's what you'd prefer... But I'd like to know more about you if you're willing to share,” Hazel said, her eyes still closed, her expression the picture of serene neutrality. Morwyn raised an eyebrow and rested her chin on one hand. She felt half drunk from exhaustion and the lulling warmth of the water.
“Ask away. I'm an open book.”
“An open book in a locked chest is still difficult to read,” Hazel teased. Morwyn smiled at the remark as she ran her fingers through her hair beneath the water.
“Then pick the lock. What would you like to know?”
Hazel opened her eyes and looked up to the ceiling, one finger pressed to her lips as she considered her inquiry.
“Do you have a favorite flower? And if so, what is it and why?”
Morwyn was taken aback for a moment. She'd expected a probe into her past or her dreams for the future or something of the like. The question seemed so innocent, so mundane, that she didn't have an immediate response. Her thoughts cycled through every flower she could think of, but there was only one that really meant something to her.
“The Snow Lily,” she murmured into the darkness. “It blooms year-round, but only on high mountains where the snow never melts. My mother used to make tea from the petals.”
Hazel sat up straight and leaned forward, her emerald eyes wide and attentive.
“I've never heard of such a thing, it sounds lovely. Where can they be found?”
Morwyn shook her head ruefully, realizing she'd fallen right into the healer's trap. Hazel's quiet enthusiasm was so effortless and sincere it was impossible to keep walls up around her.
“The Drakholm Mountains of Skeldrûn. But you knew that already, didn't you?”
“Guilty,” Hazel replied with an innocent smile. “I used a bit of Snow Lily in the medicine I gave you after your big fight. It's wonderful for soothing headaches and staving off infection. You wouldn't believe how expensive it is here on the continent.”
Morwyn couldn't help but laugh at how easily Hazel had used a simple question about flowers to get her to open up. After a moment she decided that wasn't such a bad thing after all.
“Alright, you've got me. The chest is unlocked. But before you continue your interrogation, you have to tell me your favorite flower.”
Hazel's expression grew serious for a moment, her brows drawing together in concentration. Morwyn realized it must be far more difficult for someone in the healer's profession to narrow it down.
“Let's see... it's probably a tie between the Taumadant Blossom, renowned for its ability to restore living tissue that's been affected by necrotic magic... and the Forget-Me-Not,” she said with authority.
“Forget-Me-Not?” Morwyn asked, confused by the choice. The tiny, bluish-purple flowers frequently grew on alpine slopes so she was familiar with them, but she had no idea of their medicinal use. “What do they do?”
“They look pretty,” Hazel said with a wink.
“Indeed they do,” Morwyn mused as she rubbed her sore left shoulder. “Sometimes I forget that not everything has to be useful. The beauty of nature can be its own reward.”
Too late she realized her mistake. Hazel leaned forward, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“You're hurt again,” she admonished firmly.
“I... well, you see, it's really nothing...” Morwyn tried to deflect lamely. She knew it was no use so she didn't protest as Hazel swam over to her, the water splashing around her shoulders in her haste. The halfling laid a hand on Morwyn's arm and gently turned her to get a better look in the lamplight. She clucked her tongue and ran a thumb across the bruising on her collarbone and the fresh pink scar tissue on her shoulder and neck. Morwyn turned her head to the side as Hazel swept her hair out of the way to inspect her more closely, suddenly very aware of the halfling's knee brushing against her thigh.
“You should have told me about this,” Hazel chastised, giving Morwyn a disapproving frown. “What did this? Some bloody great beast by the looks of it, and not a word of it to the one that keeps you alive and kicking!”
“A worg... I made a promise not to tell you, I didn't expect we'd find ourselves... like this.” Morwyn considered inching away from Hazel, but the halfling's grip on her arm tightened as if in anticipation of such a move.
“Who in the hells would make you promise such a thing?” she whispered fiercely, looking Morwyn dead in the eye. Though Morwyn kept her mouth firmly shut, Hazel shook her head and rubbed her temples. “It was Rennock, wasn't it? The others all know better than to try and keep things from me.”
Morwyn sighed. The jig was up, and it hadn't even lasted a full day.
“Yes, but please don't hold it against him. We ran into a pack of worgs around midday and things got out of hand. But here I am, good as new. Nothing to worry about-”
Hazel cut her off with a sharp jab of one finger to her collarbone. Morwyn flinched and let out a hiss of pain through gritted teeth.
“What was that for?” She gave Hazel a hurt frown.
“A lesson,” the other woman replied. “Don't you try to keep things like this from me, or I'll poke and prod every wound you get for a month, do you hear me?”
The healer held Morwyn's gaze with a haughty look for a long moment as she nodded, mortified at the prospect. A twitch at the corner of Hazel's mouth belied her righteous anger as her severe expression melted into a smile. The two women laughed as the tension broke. Morwyn realized that Rennock's reaction to her earlier threat was more sincere than she'd known.
“Loud and clear,” Morwyn said with chagrin. “No sneaking, no hiding, no dwarven medicine.”
Hazel patted her shoulder with one hand and sat down in the water beside her. She was close, but not too close. Morwyn allowed herself to breathe again.
“Good girl. Just had to scare some sense into you.”
Morwyn shook her head in wonder at the raw authority the other woman maintained.
“You're a wonder, you know that? I've never met anyone that could scare warriors and wizards straight like you do.”
Hazel turned to face her as she sank deeply into the warm water, her eyes shining with mirth.
“Lots of practice. Argoth and I have had words a few times over the last year or so. I think I've got even that ornery old bastard to heel by now.”
Morwyn raised an eyebrow and turned slightly to face the halfling again. Her left shoulder protested as she leaned against the wall but she ignored it entirely.
“So you've been with them since the beginning.”
Hazel nodded, toying with the end of one of her curls as she did so. There was a long pause and her eyes had a faraway look as she began to speak again.
“Near enough. The caravan came through Crowden's Glen a few weeks after I buried my parents. They'd run into some trouble with a troll along the way and Argoth had a badly broken arm. I offered to help the big lug and they accepted. Gods, the fight he put up that day! I was certain he was going to eat me, but I managed to do my work and do it well. Rennock offered me a job before Argoth had even left my tent. With nowhere else to go...” Her voice trailed off, leaving the weight of implication hanging in the air with the steam.
Tentatively, Morwyn laid a hand on Hazel's shoulder. They sat unmoving for a half a dozen heartbeats, then Hazel's small hand rested atop Morwyn's and gave it a grateful squeeze.
“I understand,” Morwyn said softly. At a loss for any words that might be of more comfort, she simply held on to the other woman's shoulder for a while before letting her hand slip slowly back into the water. Hazel wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands with a quiet sniffle. Morwyn had seen her cheerful, focused, worried, angry, pensive... but the sadness that overcame the healer's kind face made her heart pang with sorrow.
Hazel let out a humorless chuckle then looked up to the ceiling as she cleared her throat.
“I suppose we all have things we keep bottled up,” she sighed. “It's been a year and I still can't believe they're gone.”
“It's been close to nine since mine passed,” Morwyn offered solemnly, “and I'm no nearer getting over it myself.”
Hazel's hand found hers beneath the water and held it gingerly. Neither of them could bear to look at one another for a long time, but neither did they release their gentle grasp. It was some time before Morwyn found her voice again and she rubbed her thumb along the back of Hazel's hand.
“Are you this close to all of your patients?”
Hazel laughed shakily, the hiccup of emotion evident in the sound as she did so.
“Only the pretty blonde ones with muscles,” she replied.
Morwyn scooted closer to the other woman until their sides pressed together and slid down until they were shoulder to shoulder, entwining her fingers with Hazel's as she did so. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest as tragic empathy and confusing affection fought a bloody war for dominance within her. She swallowed hard and asked another question before panic could wrap its claws around her throat.
“What do you hope to find to the east?”
Hazel was quiet for a long time. Eventually she rested her weary head against Morwyn's shoulder and squeezed her hand tightly.
“Home,” she whispered.
Morwyn focused hard on keeping her breathing steady as her mind swirled with a miasma of fear and hope and doubt and longing. Even as her anxiety screamed for her to get up and run away, she laid her cheek atop Hazel's head and closed her eyes. The warmth of the pool soothed the icy trepidation in her heart as the soft, herbal aroma of Hazel's hair filled her senses. She let her mind return to that quiet place it had been before, absent of thought, simply feeling the moment.
“Me too.”